Mobile terminal and control method thereof

ABSTRACT

A mobile terminal and a touchscreen and a method of controlling the mobile terminal may be provided. The mobile terminal may cause the touchscreen to display a first item; cause the touchscreen to display a first indicator on at least part area of the first item upon receiving a first input of the first item; and cause the touchscreen to display a second item upon receiving a second input of the first indicator. Furthermore, the first item can be changed into the second item by expanding the first item. Additionally, the first item and the second item indicate items for executing a specific application. The second item has a bigger size than a size of the first item, and the second item displays first information associated with execution results of the specific application.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/225,730 filed on Sep. 6, 2011, which claims priority toKorean Patent Application No. 10-2010-0091718, filed Sep. 17, 2010 andKorean Patent Application No. 10-2010-0091720, filed Sep. 17, 2010. Theentire contents of all of the above applications are hereby incorporatedby reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Embodiments may relate to a mobile terminal and a control methodthereof.

2. Background

Terminals may be classified as mobile terminals and stationaryterminals. The mobile terminals may be classified into handheldterminals or vehicle mount terminals based on whether users canpersonally carry the terminals.

As various types of services are provided by mobile terminals,improvements in structure and/or software of the mobile terminals arebeing considered.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Arrangements and embodiments may be described in detail with referenceto the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to likeelements and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an exampleembodiment;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of a mobile terminal according to anembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method of controlling a mobile terminalaccording to an embodiment;

FIGS. 5 and 6 shows examples of arranging applications on a home screenof a mobile terminal according to an embodiment;

FIG. 7 shows an example of receiving a control input when a homeapplication is executed in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment;

FIG. 8 shows an example of executing a home application in a mobileterminal according to an embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method of controlling a mobile terminalaccording to an embodiment;

FIGS. 10 and 11 show an example of entering into a home screen while anapplication is executed in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment;

FIGS. 12 and 13 show examples of entering into a home screen anddisplaying the home screen while an application is executed in a mobileterminal according to an embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a method of controlling a mobile terminalaccording to an embodiment;

FIGS. 15 and 16 show examples of entering into a mode of changingdisplay characteristics of an item in a mobile terminal according to anembodiment;

FIGS. 17 and 19 show examples of changing a display shape and a size ofan item in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment;

FIGS. 20 to 24 show examples of changing information displayed on anitem in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment;

FIGS. 25 to 29 show examples of solving problems of insufficientarrangement spaces caused when a display size of an item is changed in amobile terminal according to an embodiment;

FIG. 30 is a flowchart of a method of controlling a mobile terminalaccording to an embodiment;

FIGS. 31 and 32 show examples of executing a function associated with anitem in a quick execution mode in a mobile terminal according to anembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments may be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. Embodiments may,however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construedas being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather,embodiments may be provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the concept of the embodiments to thoseskilled in the art. In the following description, suffixes “module” and“unit” are given to components of the mobile terminal in considerationof only facilitation of description and do not have meanings orfunctions discriminated from each other.

A mobile terminal may include a cellular phone, a smart phone, a laptopcomputer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), and a navigation system, forexample. However, those skilled in the art will easily understand thatconfigurations according to embodiments may also be applied tostationary terminals such as digital TVs and desktop computers except anexample where configurations can be applied to only mobile terminals.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an exampleembodiment. Other embodiments, configurations and arrangements may alsobe provided. As shown, a mobile terminal 100 may include a radiocommunication unit 110, an audio/video (A/V) input unit 120, a userinput unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, aninterface 170, a controller 180, and a power supply 190. Not all of thecomponents shown in FIG. 1 may be essential parts and a number ofcomponents included in the mobile terminal 100 may vary. The componentsof the mobile terminal 100 may now be described.

The radio communication unit 110 may include at least one module thatenables communication between the mobile terminal 100 and acommunication system or between the mobile terminal 100 and a network inwhich the mobile terminal 100 is located. For example, the radiocommunication unit 110 can include a broadcasting receiving module 111,a mobile communication module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, alocal area communication module 114 and a position information module115 (or location information module).

The broadcasting receiving module 111 may receive broadcasting signalsand/or broadcasting related information from an external broadcastingmanagement server through a broadcasting channel.

The broadcasting channel can include a satellite channel and aterrestrial channel. The broadcasting management server can be a serverthat generates and transmits broadcasting signals and/or broadcastingrelated information, or the broadcasting management server may be aserver that receives previously created broadcasting signals and/orbroadcasting related information and transmits the broadcasting signalsand/or broadcasting related information to the mobile terminal. Thebroadcasting signals can include not only TV broadcasting signals, radiobroadcasting signals and data broadcasting signals, but also signals inthe form of a combination of a TV broadcasting signal and a radiobroadcasting signal.

The broadcasting related information can be information on abroadcasting channel, a broadcasting program or a broadcasting serviceprovider. The broadcasting related information can be provided eventhrough a mobile communication network. The broadcasting relatedinformation can be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcasting related information can exist in various forms. Forexample, the broadcasting related information can exist in the form ofan electronic program guide (EPG) of digital multimedia broadcasting(DMB) or in the form of an electronic service guide (ESG) of digitalvideo broadcast-handheld (DVB-H).

The broadcasting receiving module 111 may receive broadcasting signalsusing various broadcasting systems. More particularly, the broadcastingreceiving module 111 may receive digital broadcasting signals usingdigital broadcasting systems such as digital multimediabroadcasting-terrestrial (DMB-T), digital multimediabroadcasting-satellite (DMB-S), media forward link only (MediaFLO),DVB-H and/or integrated services digital broadcast-terrestrial (ISDB-T)systems. The broadcasting receiving module 111 can be constructed to besuited to broadcasting systems providing broadcasting signals other thanthe above-described digital broadcasting systems.

The broadcasting signals and/or broadcasting related informationreceived through the broadcasting receiving module 111 may be stored inthe memory 160.

The mobile communication module 112 may transmit/receive a radio signalto/from at least one of a base station, an external device and/or aserver on a mobile communication network. The radio signal can include avoice call signal, a video telephony call signal or data in variousforms based on transmission and receiving of text/multimedia messages.

The wireless Internet module 113 may be a module for wireless Internetaccess and may be included in the mobile terminal 100 or may beexternally attached to the mobile terminal 100. Wireless LAN (WLAN)(Wi-Fi), wireless broadband (Wibro), world interoperability formicrowave access (Wimax), high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA)and/or so on can be used as a wireless Internet technique.

The local area communication module 114 may be a module for local areacommunication. Bluetooth, radio frequency identification (RFID),infrared data association (IrDA), ultra wideband (UWB) and/or ZigBee maybe used as a local area communication technique.

The position information module 115 may confirm or obtain a position (orlocation) of the mobile terminal 100. A global positioning system (GPS)module is a representative example of the position information module115. The GPS module may calculate information on distances between onepoint (object) and at least three satellites and information on a timewhen the distance information is measured and apply trigonometry to theobtained distance information to obtain three-dimensional positioninformation on the point (object) based on latitude, longitude andaltitude at a predetermined time. Further, a method of calculatingposition and time information using three satellites and correcting thecalculated position and time information using another satellite mayalso be used. Additionally, the GPS module may continuously calculatethe current position in real time and calculate velocity informationusing the position information.

Referring to FIG. 1, the A/V input unit 120 may input an audio signal ora video signal and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. Thecamera 121 may process image frames of still images and/or moving imagesobtained by an image sensor in a video telephony mode or a photographingmode. The processed image frames may be displayed on a display 151 (ordisplay module).

The image frames processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory160 or may be transmitted to an external device through thecommunication unit 110. The mobile terminal 100 can include at least twocameras according to constitution of the mobile terminal 100.

The microphone 122 may receive an external audio signal in a call mode,a recording mode or a speed recognition mode, and the microphone 122 mayprocess the received audio signal into electric audio data. The audiodata can be converted into a form that can be transmitted to a mobilecommunication base station through the mobile communication module 112and output in the call mode. The microphone 122 can employ various noiseremoval algorithms for removing noise (or canceling noise) generatedwhen the external audio signal is received.

The user input unit 130 may receive input data for controlling anoperation (or operations) of the mobile terminal 100 from a user. Theuser input unit 130 can include a keypad, a dome switch, a touch pad(constant voltage/capacitance), jog wheel, jog switch and/or so on.

The sensing unit 140 may sense a current state of the mobile terminal100, such as open/close state of the mobile terminal 100, the positionof the mobile terminal 100, whether a user touches the mobile terminal100, the direction of the mobile terminal 100 andacceleration/deceleration/deceleration of the mobile terminal 100, andthe sensing unit 140 may generate a sensing signal for controlling theoperation of the mobile terminal 100. For example, the sensing unit 140can sense whether a slide phone is opened or closed when the mobileterminal 100 is the slide phone. Further, the sensing unit 140 can sensewhether the power supply 190 supplies power and whether the interface170 is connected to an external device. The sensing unit 140 may includea proximity sensor 141.

The output unit 150 may generate visual, auditory and/or tactile outputand can include the display 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm153 and a haptic module 154.

The display 151 may display information processed by the mobile terminal100. For example, the display 151 may display UI or graphic userinterface (GUI) related to a telephone call when the mobile terminal isin the call mode. The display 151 may display a captured and/or receivedimage, UI or GUI when the mobile terminal 100 is in the video telephonymode or the photographing mode.

The display 151 may include at least one of a liquid crystal display, athin film transistor liquid crystal display, an organic light-emittingdiode display, a flexible display and/or a three-dimensional display.

The display may be of a transparent type or a light transmission type.This may be referred to as a transparent display. The transparentdisplay may include a transparent liquid crystal display. The rearstructure of the display 151 can also be of the light transmission type.According to this structure, a user can see an object located behind thebody of the mobile terminal 100 through an area of the body of themobile terminal 100, which is occupied by the display 151.

The mobile terminal 100 may include at least two displays 151 accordingto constitution of the mobile terminal 100. For example, the mobileterminal 100 may include a plurality of displays that are arranged on asingle face at a predetermined distance or may be integrated. Otherwise,the plurality of displays can be arranged on different sides.

In an example where the display 151 and a sensor sensing touch(hereafter referred to as a touch sensor) form a layered structure,which may be referred to as a touch screen, the display 151 can be usedas an input device in addition to an output device. The touch sensor canbe in the form of a touch film, a touch sheet and/or a touch pad, forexample.

The touch sensor can be constructed such that the touch sensor convertsa variation in pressure applied to a specific portion of the display 151or a variation in capacitance generated at a specific portion of thedisplay 151 into an electric input signal. The touch sensor can beconstructed such that the touch sensor can sense pressure of touch aswell as position and area of touch.

When a touch input is applied to the touch sensor, a signalcorresponding to the touch input is transmitted to a touch controller.The touch controller may process the signal and transmit datacorresponding to the processed signal to the controller 180.Accordingly, the controller 180 can detect a touched portion of thedisplay 151.

The proximity sensor 141 can be located in an internal region of themobile terminal, surrounded by the touch screen, or near the touchscreen. The proximity sensor 141 may sense an object approaching apredetermined sensing face or an object located near the proximitysensor 141 using an electromagnetic force or infrared rays withouthaving a mechanical contact. The proximity sensor 141 may have alifetime longer than that of a contact sensor, and the proximity sensor141 may have a wide application.

The proximity sensor 141 may include a transmission type photo-electricsensor, a direct reflection type photo-electric sensor, a mirrorreflection type photo-electric sensor, a high-frequency oscillatingproximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximitysensor, an infrared proximity sensor, and/or etc.

A capacitive touch screen is constructed such that proximity of apointer is detected through a variation in an electric field based onthe proximity of the pointer. In this example, the touch screen (touchsensor) can be classified as a proximity sensor.

For ease of explanation, an action of approaching the pointer to thetouch screen while the pointer is not in contact with the touch screensuch that location of the pointer on the touch screen is recognized maybe referred to as a “proximity touch” and an action of bring the pointerinto contact with the touch screen may be referred to as a “contacttouch”. A proximity touch point of the pointer on the touch screen maymean a point of the touch screen to which the pointer correspondssubstantially perpendicularly to the touch screen when the pointerproximity-touches the touch screen.

The proximity sensor may sense a proximity touch and a proximity touchpattern (e.g., a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction,a proximity touch velocity, a proximity touch time, a proximity touchposition, a proximity touch moving state, etc.). Informationcorresponding to the sensed proximity touch action and the proximitytouch pattern can be displayed on the touch screen.

The audio output module 152 may output audio data received from thecommunication unit 110 or stored in the memory 160 in a call signalreceiving mode, a telephone call mode or a recording mode, a speechrecognition mode and a broadcasting receiving mode. The audio outputmodule 152 may output audio signals related to functions (e.g., a callsignal incoming tone, a message incoming tone, etc.) performed in themobile terminal 100. The audio output module 152 can include a receiver,a speaker, a buzzer, etc.

The alarm 153 may output a signal for indicating generation of an eventof the mobile terminal 100. Examples of events generated in the mobileterminal 100 may include receiving of a call signal, receiving of amessage, input of a key signal, input of touch, and/or etc. The alarm153 can output signals in forms different from video signals or audiosignals, for example, a signal for indicating generation of an eventthrough vibration. The video signals or the audio signals can be alsooutput through the display 151 or the audio output module 152.

The haptic module 154 may generate various haptic effects that the usercan feel. A representative example of the haptic effects is vibration.An intensity and a pattern of vibration generated by the haptic module154 may be controlled. For example, different vibrations can be combinedand output and/or may be sequentially output.

The haptic module 154 can generate a variety of haptic effects includingan effect of stimulus based on arrangement of pins vertically moving fora contact skin face, an effect of stimulus based on jet force or suckingforce of air through a jet hole or a sucking hole, an effect of stimulusrubbing the skin, an effect of stimulus based on contact of anelectrode, an effect of stimulus using electrostatic force and an effectbased on reproduction of cold and warmth using an element capable ofabsorbing or radiating heat in addition to vibrations.

The haptic module 154 may not only transmit haptic effects throughdirect contact but also allow the user to feel haptic effects throughkinesthetic sense of his fingers or arms. The mobile terminal 100 caninclude at least two haptic modules 154 according to constitution of themobile terminal 100.

The memory 160 can store a program for operation of the controller 180and may temporarily store input/output data (e.g., phone book, messages,still images, moving images, etc.). The memory 160 can store data aboutvibrations and sounds in various patterns, which are output from when atouch input is applied to the touch screen.

The memory 160 can include at least one of a flash memory, a hard disktype memory, a multimedia card micro type memory, a card type memory(for e.g., SD or XD memory), a random access memory (RAM), a static RAM(SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmableROM (EEPROM), a programmable ROM (PROM) magnetic memory, a magnetic diskand/or an optical disk. The mobile terminal 100 can operate in relationto a web storage performing a storing function of the memory 160 on theInternet.

The interface 170 may serve as a path to all external devices connectedto the mobile terminal 100. The interface 170 may receive data from theexternal devices or power and transmit the data or power to internalcomponents of the mobile terminal 100 or transmit data of the mobileterminal 100 to the external devices. The interface 170 can include awired/wireless headset port, an external charger port, a wired/wirelessdata port, a memory card port, a port for connecting a device having auser identification module, an audio I/O port, a video I/O port, anearphone port, and/or etc., for example.

An identification module is a chip that stores information forauthenticating authority to use the mobile terminal 100 and can includea user identify module (UIM), a subscriber identify module (SIM) and/ora universal subscriber identify module (USIM). A device (hereafterreferred to as an identification device) including the identificationmodule can be manufactured in the form of a smart card. Accordingly, theidentification device can be connected to the mobile terminal 100through a port.

The interface 170 may serve as a path through which power from anexternal cradle is provided to the mobile terminal 100 when the mobileterminal 100 is connected to the external cradle or a path through whichvarious command signals inputted by the user through the cradle to themobile terminal 100. The various command signals or power input from thecradle can be used as a signal for confirming whether the mobileterminal 100 is correctly set in the cradle.

The controller 180 may control the overall operation of the mobileterminal. For example, the controller 180 may perform control andprocessing for voice communication, data communication and videotelephony. The controller 180 can include a multimedia module 181 forplaying multimedia. The multimedia module 181 can be included in thecontroller 180 or may be separated from the controller 180.

The controller 180 can perform a pattern recognition process capable ofrecognizing handwriting input or picture-drawing input applied to thetouch screen as characters or images.

The power supply 190 may receive external power and internal power andprovide power required for operations of components of the mobileterminal under control of the controller 180.

Various embodiments may be implemented in a computer or similar devicereadable recording medium using software, hardware and/or a combinationthereof, for example.

According to hardware implementation, embodiments may be implementedusing at least one of application specific integrated circuits (ASICs),digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices(DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gatearrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers,microprocessors, and/or electrical units for executing functions. Insome cases, embodiments may be implemented by the controller 180.

According to software implementation, embodiments such as procedures orfunctions may be implemented with a separate software module thatexecutes at least one function or operation. Software codes can beimplemented according to a software application written in anappropriate software language. Further, the software codes can be storedin the memory 160 and executed by the controller 180.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mobile terminal as viewed from a frontside according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2, the mobile terminal 100 may be implemented in abar-type. However, embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, themobile terminal 100 may be implemented in various types, such as asliding type, a cram shell type, a swing type, and/or a swivel type. Inan example of the sliding type, the mobile terminal 100 may include twoor more bodies that are slidingly movable with respect to each other.

The body of the mobile terminal 100 may include a casing that may have ahousing cover. The case may include a front casing 101 and a rear casing102. Various electronic parts may be embedded in a space between thefront casing 101 and the rear casing 102. At least one interveningcasing may be positioned between the front casing 101 and the rearcasing 102.

The casing may be formed by injection molding of plastics and/or may beformed of a metal such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti).

The display 151, the audio output module 152, the camera 121, the userinput unit 130 (including a first user input unit 131 and a second userinput unit 132), the microphone 122, and the interface 170 may bearranged on the front casing 101 of the mobile terminal 100.

The display 151 may occupy most of the main face of the front casing101. The audio output module 152 and the camera 121 may be provided atan area adjacent to one of both end portions of the display 151, whilethe first user input unit 131 and the microphone 122 are provided at anarea adjacent to the other one of both end portions of the display 151.The second user input unit 132 and the interface 170 may be provided onthe lateral sides of the front and rear casings 101 and 102.

The user input unit 130 may receive commands for controlling operationsof the mobile terminal 100. The user input unit 130 may include aplurality of the manipulating units 131 and 132.

The manipulating units 131 and 132 may also be generally called amanipulating portion, and they may adopt a mechanism of a tactile mannerthat enables a user to perform a manipulation action by experiencing atactile feeling.

The contents inputted by the manipulating units 131 and 132 may bediversely set. For example, commands, such as start, end, and scroll,may be inputted to the manipulating unit 131. A command for volumeadjustment of sound outputted from the audio output unit 152 and acommand for switching to a touch recognizing mode of the display 151 maybe inputted to the manipulating unit 132.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a rear surface of the mobile terminalshown in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, an additional camera 121′ may be provided on therear casing 102 of the mobile terminal 100. The camera 121′ may includea capturing direction substantially opposite of the camera 121 (shown inFIG. 2), and resolution of the camera 121′ may be different from that ofthe camera 121.

For example, the camera 121 may have a low resolution that is enough tocapture a user's face and send the captured image to the other partywhile performing a video communication. The camera 121′ may have a highresolution for general purpose of image capturing. The cameras 121 and121′ may be provided in the body of the mobile terminal 100 to berotated or popped up.

A flash 123 and a mirror 124 may be further provided adjacent to thecamera 121′. The flash 123 may project light toward a subject in anexample where the subject is photographed using the camera 121′. If auser attempts to take a picture of the user (self-photography) using thecamera 121′, the mirror 124 may enable the user to view a user's facereflected by the mirror 124.

An additional audio output unit 152′ may be provided on a backside ofthe terminal body. The additional audio output unit 152′ may implement astereo function along with the audio output unit 152 (FIG. 2), and theadditional audio output unit 152′ may be used to implement a speakerphone mode in talking over the mobile terminal.

A broadcast signal receiving antenna 124 may be additionally provided ata lateral side of the terminal body as well as an antenna forcommunication, etc. The antenna 124 may be considered as being a portionof the broadcast receiving module 111 (FIG. 1) and may be retractablyprovided on the terminal body.

The power supply 190 for supplying power to the mobile terminal 100 maybe mounted on the terminal body. The power supply 190 may be builtwithin the terminal body. Alternatively, the power supply 190 may bedetachably connected to the terminal body.

A touchpad 135 for detecting a touch may be further provided on the rearcasing 102. The touchpad 135 may be configured in a light-transmittivetype like the display 151. If the display 151 is configured to outputvisual information from both faces, the visual information may berecognized through the touchpad 135 as well. Information outputted fromboth faces may be controlled by the touchpad 135. Alternatively, anadditional display may be provided to the touchpad 135 so that a touchscreen is also provided to the rear casing 102.

The touch pad 135 may be activated in conjunction with the display 151of the front casing 101. The touchpad 135 may be provided in rear of thedisplay 151 in parallel to one another. The size of the touchpad 135 maybe equal to or less than that of the display 151.

The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in themobile terminal 100 described in connection with FIGS. 1 to 3.

A method of controlling the mobile terminal 100 and an operation of themobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment may be described withreference to FIGS. 4 to 8.

A “shortcut icon” may be an icon that serves as a medium for directlyexecuting an application or content. The shortcut icon may includelocation information on the corresponding application or content. Whenthe shortcut icon is selected, the corresponding application or contentmay be executed. A “widget” may refer to a small window for operatingthe corresponding application and dynamically displaying the executedresult of the application. The widget may also function as a shortcut tothe corresponding application or content like the shortcut icon. Forexample, when a widget is selected, the mobile terminal 100 may executethe corresponding application or content. However, unlike the shortcuticon, the widget may dynamically display an executed result of theapplication. A “group icon” may be an icon that represents an icon groupincluding a plurality of shortcut icons or widgets. When the group iconis selected, the mobile terminal 100 may display a list of shortcuticons or widgets included in the corresponding group.

The home screen may include a plurality of pages that each may berepresented by a page indicator. The display screen may display a singlepage at a time.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method of controlling a mobile terminalaccording to an embodiment. FIGS. 4 to 7 are views illustrating a methodof controlling the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment. Otherembodiments and configurations may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 4, the controller 180 may arrange or provide anapplication (or applications) on at least one page included in a homescreen (S101). When the application is arranged on a specific page inthe home screen, the controller 180 may execute the application whenmoving to the corresponding page. Further, the controller 180 maydisplay an execution image of the application on the home screen of themobile terminal 100. For this, the controller 180 may map the page inthe home screen on which the application is arranged with theapplication and store the mapped result in the memory 160. That is,information on what application is arranged in the corresponding page isstored in the memory 160.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate arranging applications on a home screen. Otherexamples may also be provided.

As shown in FIG. 5, the controller 180 may display a list L1 of itemsaddable to the home screen on the display 151 based on a control inputreceived from the user input unit 130 or the touch screen (of thedisplay 151) (S201). The items addable on the home screen may includeshortcut icons, widgets, folders, wallpapers, and/or home applications.The folder may refer to a group icon and the home application may referto an application installed in the home screen. When a home application4 a is selected from the list L1, the controller 180 may display a listL2 of addable home applications on the touch screen (of the display 151)(S202). When an application 4 b is selected from the home applicationlist L2, the controller 180 may arrange or provide the selectedapplication 4 b on the home screen (S203). According to an embodiment,the controller 180 may display the home application 4 b requested to bearranged or provided on a page of the home screen displayed on thecurrent screen. For example, when page 4 of the home screen displayed onthe current touch screen (of the display 151) is a fourth page and thehome application selected from the home application list L2 is a memoapplication, the controller 180 may install the memo application in thefourth page of the home screen. Further, the controller 180 may arrangeor provide the home application 4 b on a page other than the pagedisplayed on a current screen. The controller 180 may add a new page tothe home screen and may arrange or provide the selected home applicationon the newly added page. For example, when the home screen includesseven pages and a request is received to provide the memo application onthe home screen, the controller 180 may add an eighth page to the homescreen and may provide the memo application on the eighth page.

An execution image 4 c of the home application provided on the homescreen may be displayed on an entire area or a partial area of the pageon which the corresponding application is arranged. When the executionimage 4 c is displayed on a partial area of the page, the controller 180may downsize the execution image of the home application. Further, theexecution image may be displayed as a background image of the page onwhich the application is arranged. For example, when the memoapplication is arranged on the fourth page of the home screen, thecontroller 180 may display the execution image 4 c of the memoapplication on the entire area of the fourth page of the home screen.

As shown in FIG. 6, the controller 180 may enter into a mode forchanging a display size of an item 5 a (hereafter referred to as adisplay size changing mode) provided on the home screen based on user'scontrol input through the touch screen or the user input unit 130(S301). For example, when the item 5 a displayed on the screen istouched for a predetermined time, the controller 180 may enter into themode for changing the display size of the item 5 a. The controller 180may enter into the mode for changing the display size of the item 5 awhen the item 5 a is multi-touched. After entering into the display sizechanging mode, the controller 180 may change the size of the item 5 abased on a received drag input. As the size of the item 5 a is changed,the item 5 a may change in shape into a shortcut icon, a widget and/or ahome application. When the display size of the item 5 a increases bymore than a predetermined size, the controller 180 may transform theitem 5 a to a home application 5 b and provide the home application 5 bon the home screen (S302). The executing home application 5 b on thehome screen may be displayed on an entire area or on a partial area ofthe page on which the corresponding application is arranged. Theexecuting home application may be displayed as a background image of thepage on which the corresponding application is arranged.

Returning to FIG. 4, when an entrance into the home screen is requestedwhile the application is in execution (S102), the controller 180 maypause or terminate the executing application and enter into the homescreen (S103). The controller 180 may display any one page constitutingthe home screen on the screen of the mobile terminal 100 through thedisplay 151. Thereafter, the page of the home screen displayed on thescreen may be shifted based on a control input received through the userinput unit 130 or the touch screen (of the display 151).

When the page on which the home application is provided is displayed onthe screen while entering into the home screen or shifting the page ofthe home screen, the controller 180 may execute the home applicationprovided on the corresponding page (S105). The controller 180 maydisplay an execution image of the home application on the screen of themobile terminal 100. The execution image of the home application may bea last execution image of the corresponding application. When theapplication is ended, the controller 180 may store a last entrance stepof the application and the execution image in the memory 160. When thecorresponding application is executed again as the home application, thecontroller 180 may execute the application based on the last entrancestep stored in the memory 160 and display the last execution image ofthe corresponding application stored in the memory 160. The executionimage of the home application may be displayed on an entire area of thedisplayed page or on a partial area of the screen with a shrunk image.Further, the execution image of the home application may be displayed asa background image of the currently displayed page.

When the home application is executed on the home screen, the controller180 may also receive a control input for the corresponding application.FIG. 7 shows an example of receiving a control input while executing thehome application.

Referring to FIG. 7, the controller 180 may display, on a screen, a page6 on which an e-book application is provided from among pages of thehome screen. The e-book application may be executed as the homeapplication, and an execution image of the e-book application may bedisplayed on the screen (S401). Upon receiving a control input for thee-book application through the user input unit 130 or the touch screen,the controller 180 may execute a function of the e-book applicationcorresponding to the received control input (S402). For example, uponreceiving a page scroll request while displaying an e-book on the screenthrough the e-book application, the controller 180 may scroll the pagedisplayed on the screen.

Referring to FIG. 4, when a control input is received through the userinput unit 130 or the touch screen (of the display 151) and thus thecurrent page is changed to another page of the home screen or the homescreen is terminated (S106), the controller 180 may terminate the homeapplication in execution on the current page (S107). Further, thecontroller 180 may store a last entrance step of the application and anexecution image displayed last before terminating the correspondingapplication in the memory 160. When the page of the home screen on whichthe corresponding application is the home application is displayed onthe screen, the controller 180 may read the last entrance step of thecorresponding application from the memory 160 and execute theapplication based on the last entrance step. The controller 180 maydisplay the last execution image of the corresponding application readfrom the memory 160 on the screen of the mobile terminal 100.

FIG. 8 shows an example of executing the home application in the mobileterminal 100 according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 8, the controller 180 may enter into the home screenbased on a received control input (S501). Accordingly, any one 7 d of aplurality of pages (that constitute the home screen) may be displayed onthe touch screen (of the display 151). Upon receiving a touch inputwhile in the home screen, the controller 180 may display a list of thepages 7 a, 7 b, 7 c, 7 d, 7 e, 7 f, and 7 g constituting the home screenon the touch screen (of the display 151) (S502). For example, when thetouch screen is multi-touched while the home screen is displayed and adrag input is received starting from one of the multi-touched points,the controller 180 may display the list of the pages 7 a, 7 b, 7 c, 7 d,7 e, 7 f, and 7 g on the touch screen (of the display 151). Referring toFIG. 8, the list of the pages (constituting the home screen) may bedisplayed in a shrunken manner. When any one shrunken page image (e.g. athumbnail of the page 7 e), is selected from the list, the controller180 may display the corresponding page 7 d on the screen (S503). Whenthe selected page 7 e is the page on which the home application isprovided, the controller 180 may execute the home application on thepage 7 e. For example, a memo application may be the home application onthe selected page 7 e, and the controller 180 may execute the memoapplication while moving to the corresponding page, and the controller180 may display an execution image of the memo application on the page 7e. With reference to FIG. 8, when a shift to another page 7 f in thehome screen is requested while the home application is executed, thecontroller 180 may pause or terminate the executing home application.The controller 180 may move to the page 7 f and display the page 7 f onthe screen (S504).

According to an embodiment described in connection with FIGS. 4 to 8, auser may execute or terminate an application only by entering into thehome screen and moving a page without a separate manipulation forexecuting the application. The selecting and executing of an applicationthat the user desires to execute in the home screen may be omitted,thereby simplifying a user's manipulation. Further, a delay that theuser may feel while executing and terminating the application may beminimized.

A method of controlling the mobile terminal 100 and an operation of themobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment may be described withreference to FIGS. 9 to 13.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method of controlling the mobile terminal 100according to an embodiment. FIGS. 10 to 13 show a method of controllingthe mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment. Other embodimentsand configurations may also be provided.

Referring to FIG. 9, the controller 180 may execute an application(S601). When an entrance into the home screen is requested through theuser input unit 130 or the touch screen (of the display 151) while theapplication is executing (S602), the controller 180 may pause orterminate the executing application and enter into the home screen(S603).

Upon terminating the application, the controller 180 may store, in thememory 160, a last entrance operation of the application or an executionimage displayed last on the screen. This may correspond to a last statusof the application. As the home screen is executed, the controller 180may display the last execution image (or last status) of the applicationas a background image of the home screen and may display items arrangedon the home screen on the background image in an overlapping manner.Accordingly, a user may identify the items arranged on the home screenwhile the execution image of the executing application is displayed onthe screen.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show an example of entering into a home screen while inexecution of an application.

Referring to FIG. 10, when an entrance into the home screen is requestedwhile a weather application is ongoing (S701), the controller 180 maypause or terminate the weather application. The controller 180 may enterinto the home screen and display any one of the pages included in thehome screen on the screen (S702). While pausing or terminating theweather application to enter into the home screen, the controller 180may store a last execution image of the weather application in thememory 160 and display the last execution image as a background image ofthe home screen upon entering into the home screen.

Referring to FIG. 11, the controller 180 may execute a memo applicationand display a key pad 10 a for entry of a memo on the screen (S801).When an entrance into the home screen is requested while the key pad 10a is displayed on the screen, the controller 180 may pause or terminatethe memo application. The controller 180 may enter into the home screenand display any one of the pages included in the home screen on thescreen (S802). While pausing or terminating the memo application toenter into the home screen, the controller 180 may store a lastexecution image (or last status) of the memo application in the memory160 and display the stored last execution image upon entering into thehome screen. When the entrance into the home screen is requested whilethe key pad 10 a is displayed, the controller 180 may store not theexecution image of the key pad 10 a but rather the execution image ofthe memo application prior to display of the key pad 10 a as the lastbackground image in the memory 160. For example, when the application isterminated for entrance into the home screen while the key pad 10 a isbeing displayed, the controller 180 may store, in the memory 160, anexecution image (or last status) in which the key pad 10 a is displayedin an inactivated manner as the last execution image of thecorresponding application.

Returning to FIG. 9, when a page shift in the home screen is requestedthrough the user input unit 130 or the touch screen (of the display 151)after entrance into the home screen (S604), the controller 180 mayterminate the display of the execution image of the application. Forexample, when shifting (or changing) to another page in the home screen,the controller 180 may change the background image from the applicationexecution image to the background image as originally set (S605). Theexecution image of the application in execution right before enteringinto the home screen may be displayed as the background image of thehome screen only during a time after entering into the home screen andbefore a page shift takes place.

FIG. 12 shows an example of displaying a home screen upon entering intothe home screen while in execution of an application.

Referring to FIG. 12, the controller 180 may execute a weatherapplication (S901). When an entrance into the home screen is requestedwhile the weather application is ongoing, the controller 180 may pauseor terminate the weather application and enter into the home screen(S902). The controller 180 may display an execution image immediatelybefore the weather application is paused or terminated as the backgroundimage of the home screen. Thereafter, when a page shift (or page change)to another page in the home screen is requested, the controller 180 mayperform the page shift (or page change) from the current page to anotherpage and display the shifted page (or changed page) on the screen(S903). When a page shift occurs after entering into the home screen,the controller 180 may terminate display of the execution image of theapplication used as the background image when entering into the homescreen. The controller 180 may display the background image originallyset as the background image of the home screen.

Referring to FIG. 9, when a termination of the home screen is requestedthrough the user input unit 130 or the touch screen (of the display 151)while being in the home screen (S606), the controller 180 may terminatedisplay of the home screen. The controller 180 may re-execute theapplication that was in execution immediately prior to entrance into thehome screen (S607). As the home screen is terminated, when theapplication is re-executed, the controller 180 may put the applicationback to the state right before entrance into the home screen based onthe last entrance operation and the last execution image of theapplication that was stored in the memory 160 immediately prior toentrance into the home screen. Accordingly, even when entering into thehome screen while the application is in execution, after the home screenis terminated, a user may execute the application again under a samestate as a previous state.

Although it has been described that when a page shift (or page change)occurs after entrance into the home screen, display of the executionimage of the application used as the background image immediately afterentrance into the home screen is terminated, embodiments not limitedthereto. According to an embodiment, even when entering into the homescreen while the application is in execution and a page shift (or pagechange) takes place in the home screen, the controller 180 may continueto display, as the background image of the home screen, the executionimage of the application that was in execution prior to entrance intothe home screen. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, when an entrance intothe home screen is requested while a weather application is in execution(S1001), the controller 180 may enter into the home screen (S1002). Thecontroller 180 may display as the background image the execution imageof the weather application immediately prior to entrance into the homescreen. Thereafter, when a shift (or change) to another page in the homescreen is requested, the controller 180 may shift (or change) to therequested page and display the item in the corresponding page on thescreen (S1003). The execution image of the weather application may becontinuously displayed as the background image of the home screen.

According to the embodiment described in connection with FIGS. 9 to 13,a user may identify information through items on the home screen whilethe application is in execution by entering into the home screen withoutterminating the application. Further, since the items on the home screenare displayed on the screen on which the executing application is alsodisplayed in an overlapping manner, a user may identify both theexecution image of the application and information on the items arrangedon the home screen.

A method of controlling the mobile terminal 100 and an operation of themobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment may be described withreference to FIGS. 14 to 29.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a method of controlling the mobile terminal100 according to an embodiment. FIGS. 15 to 29 show a method ofcontrolling the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment. Otherembodiments and configurations may also be provided.

Referring to FIG. 14, the controller 180 may enter into the home screenbased on a control input through the user input unit 130 or the touchscreen (of the display 151). Accordingly, the controller 180 may displayany one of the pages in the home screen and display items on thecorresponding page (S1101). The icons may include shortcut icons,widgets, home applications, and/or group icons, for example.

The controller 180 may receive a request for changing displaycharacteristics (hereinafter referred to as a display characteristicchanging request) on any one of the items displayed on the screen basedon a control input through the user input unit 130 or the touch screen(of the display 151). Accordingly, the controller 180 may enter into amode for changing the display characteristics on the items (hereinafterreferred to as a display characteristic changing mode) (S1102). Forexample, when an item displayed on the screen is touched during apredetermined time, the controller 180 may receive a displaycharacteristic changing request on the corresponding item. Further, thecontroller 180 may also receive a display characteristic changingrequest when an item is multi-touched.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show examples of entering into a display characteristicchanging mode.

Referring to FIG. 15, when an item 14 a displayed on the home screen istouched for a predetermined time (S1201), the controller 180 may enterinto a display characteristic changing mode for the selected item 14 a.Accordingly, the controller 180 may change display characteristics ofthe item 14 a based on a drag input starting from a display area of theitem 14 a.

As shown in FIG. 15, the controller 180 may also display a directionindicator 14 b allowing a displayed size of the item 14 a to change. Todisplay the direction indicator 14 b, the controller 180 may identify anarea on which an additional item may be arranged in the page of the homescreen. Based on the identified area, the controller 180 may display thedirection indicator 14 b. The direction indicator 14 b may allow a userto intuitively identify in what direction the item 14 a may expand.

Referring to FIG. 16, when an item displayed on the screen ismulti-touched, the controller 180 may enter into a displaycharacteristic changing mode of the item 15 a. The controller 180 maychange display characteristics of the item 15 a based on a drag inputstarting from any one of the multi-touched points.

Referring to FIG. 14, upon receiving a drag input through the touchscreen (of the display 151) after entering into the displaycharacteristic changing mode of an item (S1103), the controller 180 maychange display characteristics of a selected item based on the receiveddrag input (S1104).

The display characteristics may include a displayed size. According toan embodiment, the controller 180 may change a displayed size of an itembased on a path of a received drag input. For example, upon receiving adrag input having a path connected from a display area of an item to anarea outside of the displayed area, the controller 180 may expand thedisplayed size of the item. Upon receiving a drag input having a pathconnected from a point in the display area of the item to another pointin the display area, the controller 180 may shrink (or reduce) thedisplayed size of the item.

The display characteristics may include a displayed shape. According toan embodiment, the controller 180 may change the displayed shape of anitem into a shape of a shortcut icon, a widget, or a home applicationbased on a path of a received drag input. The controller 180 may store adisplayed shape corresponding to a displayed size of each item in thememory 160. When the displayed size of the item is changed due to thereceived drag input, the controller 180 may change the displayed shapeof the item into a displayed shape corresponding to the changeddisplayed size. For example, to change display characteristics of ashortcut icon, the controller 180 may change the shape of the shortcuticon to a shape of a widget or home application based on a path of adrag input. As another example, to change display characteristics of awidget, the controller 180 may change the shape of the widget to a shapeof a shortcut icon or home application based on a path of a drag input.As still another example, to change display characteristics of a homeapplication, the controller 180 may change the shape of the homeapplication to a shape of a shortcut icon or widget based on a path of adrag input.

The display characteristics may include a type of information displayedon an item. The controller 180 may delete or add information to bedisplayed on the item based on a path of a received drag input. Thecontroller 180 may store, in the memory 160, information displayed onthe item according to the displayed size or displayed shape of eachitem. When the displayed size or shape of the item is changed due to areceived drag input, the controller 180 may change the informationdisplayed on the item corresponding to the changed displayed size orshape.

FIGS. 17 to 19 show examples of changing a displayed shape and adisplayed size of an item.

Referring to FIG. 17, when a shortcut icon 16 a displayed on the screenis touched for more than a predetermined time, the controller 180 mayenter into a display characteristic changing mode for the shortcut icon16 a (S1301). Upon receiving a drag input starting at an area where theshortcut icon 16 a is displayed, the controller 180 may change adisplayed size of the shortcut icon 16 a based on the received draginput. When the displayed size becomes more than a predetermined size,the controller 180 may transform (or change) the shortcut icon 16 a to awidget 16 b and display the widget 16 b (S1302). When the displayedshape is changed from the shortcut icon 16 a to the widget 16 b, thecontroller 180 may include an execution result of a correspondingapplication. Even though the displayed shape is transformed to thewidget 16 b, the controller 180 may continuously change the displayedsize of the widget 16 b based on a received drag input (S1303). When thedisplayed size of the widget 16 b increases, information displayed onthe widget 16 b may also increase. When the displayed size of the widget16 b is increased more than a predetermined size while being varied, thecontroller 180 may transform the widget 16 b to a home application 16 cand display the home application 16 c (S1304). When the widget 16 b istransformed to the home application 16 c, the controller 180 may providea home application on the home screen. A method of providing a homeapplication on the home screen has been described with reference toFIGS. 4 to 8, and thus further detailed description thereof will beomitted.

Referring to FIG. 18, when the home application 16 c on the home screenis touched for more than a predetermined time, the controller 180 mayenter into a display characteristic changing mode for the correspondingitem (S1401). The controller 180 may change a displayed size of the homeapplication 16 c based on a received drag input. When the displayed sizeis reduced to less than a predetermined size, the controller 180 maytransform (or change) the home application 16 c to the widget 16 b anddisplay the widget 16 b (S1402). Even after the displayed shape ischanged from the home application 16 c to the widget 16 b, thecontroller 180 may change the displayed size of the widget 16 b based ona received drag input. When the displayed size of the widget 16 b isreduced to less than a predetermined size, the controller 180 maytransform (or change) the widget 16 b to the shortcut icon 16 a anddisplay the shortcut icon 16 a (S1403).

Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, the controller 180 having entered into thedisplay characteristic changing mode may also display an indicator 16 dindicating a direction along which the displayed size of the item 16 amay change. Accordingly, a user may intuitively identify in whatdirection the displayed size may change when the display characteristicsof the selected item are changed.

Referring to FIG. 19, when the shortcut icon 16 a displayed on thescreen is multi-touched, the controller 180 may enter into a displaycharacteristic changing mode for the shortcut icon 16 a (S1501). Uponreceiving a drag input starting at any one of the multi-touched pointswhile the shortcut icon 16 a is multi-touched, the controller 180 maychange a displayed size or a displayed shape of the shortcut icon 16 abased on the received drag input. For example, when the drag input isongoing to an area outside of an area where the shortcut icon 16 a isdisplayed, the controller 180 may expand the displayed size of theshortcut icon 16 a based on the drag path. When the displayed size ofthe shortcut icon 16 a is expanded to more than a predetermined size,the controller 180 may transform (or change) the shortcut icon 16 a tothe widget 16 b and display the widget 16 b (S1502). When a drag inputis continuously received in the direction of expanding the displayedsize even after the shortcut icon 16 a is transformed to the widget 16b, the controller 180 may expand the displayed size of the widget 16 band display the expanded widget 16 b (S1503). When the displayed size ofthe widget 16 b expands, predetermined information may also be added tothe widget 16 b. When the displayed size of the widget 16 b expands tomore than a predetermined size, the controller 180 may transform thewidget 16 b to the home application 16 c and display the homeapplication 16 c (S1504).

FIGS. 20 to 24 show examples of changing information displayed on anitem.

As a displayed size or shape of an item is changed, informationdisplayed on the item is also added or deleted. The type of informationdisplayed on the item may vary depending on the displayed size or shapeof the item.

For example, when an item is changed in a displayed shape to a widget,an execution result of an application corresponding to the widget may bedisplayed on the widget in the form of a preview. The informationdisplayed on the widget in the preview form may be added or deletedbased on the displayed size of the widget. For example, when thedisplayed shape of the item is changed to the widget, the controller 180may display on the widget an application corresponding to the widget ora list of functions of the corresponding application. As anotherexample, when the displayed shape of the item is changed to the widget,the controller 180 may display on the widget a list of content providedby the corresponding application. As an even further example, when thedisplayed shape of the item is changed to a home application, thecontroller 180 may display an execution image of the correspondingapplication on the entire screen. When the displayed size of a groupicon expands, the controller 180 may display a list of groupedcorresponding icons in the form of a widget.

Referring to FIG. 20, the controller 180 may display a shortcut icon 19a representing an email application on the home screen (S1601). When arequest for changing the display characteristics of the shortcut icon 19a is received and thus the displayed size of the icon 19 a expands, thecontroller 180 may transform the shortcut icon 19 a to a widget 19 b anddisplay the widget 19 b (S1602). Accordingly, the controller 180 maydisplay, on the widget 19 b, preview information related to the emailapplication, for example, a preview image of an email recently received.Thereafter, the information displayed on the widget 19 b may be newlyadded or changed depending on the displayed size of the widget 19 b. Asshown in FIG. 20, the information displayed on the widget 19 b may be apreview image of an execution result of the corresponding application.For example, in an example of an alarm application, preset alarminformation may be displayed on the widget. In the example of ascheduling application, preset scheduling information may be displayedon the widget, and the scheduling information may be changed from dailyscheduling information through weekly and monthly scheduling informationto yearly scheduling information depending on the displayed size of thewidget.

Referring to FIG. 21, the controller 180 may display a shortcut icon 20a representing an address book application on the home screen (S1701).When the displayed size of the shortcut icon 20 a expands, thecontroller 180 may display a list of applications or functionsexecutable in association with the address book application incombination with the shortcut icon 20 a in the form of a widget 20 b(S1702).

Referring to FIG. 22, the controller 180 may display a shortcut icon 21a representing a memo application on the home screen (S1801). When thedisplayed size of the shortcut icon 21 a expands, the controller 180 maydisplay a widget 21 d combined with a list 21 b of pre-stored memosdisplayed in the form of a preview image and a list 21 c of applicationsexecutable in association with the memo application rather than theshortcut icon 21 a (S1802).

Referring to FIG. 23, the controller 180 may display a shortcut icon 22a representing an album application on the home screen (S1901). When thedisplayed size of the shortcut icon 22 a expands, the controller 180 maydisplay any one of a plurality of pre-stored images in the form of awidget 22 b (S1902). When the displayed size of the widget 22 b expandsto more than a predetermined size, the controller 180 may display a list22 c of pre-stored widgets on the widget 22 b (S1903). A number ofimages displayed in the preview form on the widget 22 b from amongimages included in the image list 22 c may vary depending on thedisplayed size of the widget 22 b. Accordingly, the image list 22 c maybe divided into a plurality of pages. The controller 180 may display anyone of the plurality of pages on the widget 22 b. The controller 180 mayshift (or change) the page to another page and display the shifted page(or changed page) based on a received drag input in an area where thewidget 22 b is displayed (S1904).

Referring to FIG. 24, the controller 180 may display a group icon 23 acorresponding to a group of items on the home screen (S2001). When thedisplayed size of the group icon 23 a expands, the controller 180 maydisplay a list 23 c of the grouped items in the form of a widget 23 b(S2002). The list of the grouped items may be divided into a pluralityof pages depending on the displayed size of the widget 23 b. Thecontroller 180 may display any one of the plurality of pages on thewidget 23 b. The controller 180 may shift or change the page includingthe list 23 c to another page and display the shifted page (or changedpage) based on a received drag input in an area where the widget 23 b isdisplayed (S2003).

Referring to FIG. 14, while changing the display characteristics of theitem, the controller 180 may receive a request for terminating thedisplay characteristic changing mode. For example, while changing thedisplay characteristics of the item based on a received drag input, thecontroller 180 may receive a request for terminating the displaycharacteristic changing mode when a touch input is received at adifferent area from an area where the item is displayed. While changingthe display characteristics of the item based on a received drag inputwhile the item is multi-touched, the controller 180 may receive arequest for terminating the display characteristic changing mode when atouch input of at least one of a plurality of multi-touched points isreleased.

In response to the request for terminating the display characteristicchanging mode for the item (S1105), the controller 180 may terminate thedisplay characteristic changing mode for the selected item (S1106). Uponterminating the display characteristic changing mode, the controller 180may map the changed display characteristics with the corresponding itemand store the mapped result in the memory 160. The controller 180 maydisplay a message asking whether to store the changed displaycharacteristics on the screen. Upon receiving a control input forstoring the changed display characteristics from a user, the controller180 may also map the changed display characteristics with thecorresponding item and store the mapped result in the memory 160. Instoring the changed display characteristics in the memory 160, whenreentering into the page of the home screen currently displayed, thecontroller 180 may display the item reflecting the changed displaycharacteristics based on the display characteristics stored in thememory 160.

Upon changing the displayed size of an item on the home screen, anarrangement space in the home screen may be insufficient. The mobileterminal 100 may solve problems of insufficient arrangement space invarious methods.

When entering into a display characteristic changing mode for the item,the controller 180 may display a direction indicator indicating adirection in which the displayed size of the item is changeable on thescreen. Referring to FIG. 25, the controller 180 displays a directionindicator 24 b indicating a direction in which the displayed size of anitem 24 a may change. For example, when there is an extra arrangementspace under the item 24 a, the controller 180 may display the directionindicator 24 b indicating that the displayed size of the item 24 a mayexpand in a lower direction.

When it is difficult to further expand or shrink the displayed size ofthe item, the controller 180 may display information indicating such afact on the screen. Referring to FIG. 26, the controller 180 may enterinto a display characteristic changing mode for an item 25 a (S2101).Accordingly, the controller 180 may change the displayed size of theitem 25 a based on a received drag input. When receiving a drag inputallowing the displayed size of the item to expand to an area on whichanother item 25 b is displayed or to an area other than an area on whichthe item may be displayed while the displayed size changes, thecontroller 180 may display a message 25 c indicating that the displayedsize of the item 25 a may not expand (S2102).

When there is an attempt to expand the displayed size of the item beyondan expandable area, the controller 180 may add a new page in the homescreen. In addition to adding the new page, the controller 180 may alsorearrange the item whose displayed size has been expanded and the otheritems arranged on the same page as the corresponding item on the newlyadded page. Referring to FIG. 27, the controller 180 may enter into amode of changing the displayed size of an item 26 a on the home screen(S2201). Accordingly, the controller 180 changes the displayed size ofthe item 26 a based on a received drag input. When the arrangement spacefor items is insufficient in the page P1 on which the item 26 a isarranged as the displayed size of the item 26 a is expanded, thecontroller 180 may add a new page P2 in the home screen. The controller180 may rearrange the item 26 a whose displayed size has been changed onthe newly added page P2 (S2202).

When there is an attempt to expand the displayed size of the item beyondan expandable area, the controller 180 may shrink (or reduce thedisplayed size of the items other than the item whose displayed size haschanged and display the shrunken items. When an item on a page expands,the controller 180 may automatically shrink (or reduce) the displayedsize of the other items and display the shrunken items. Referring toFIG. 28, the controller 180 may enter into a mode of changing thedisplayed size of an item 27 a arranged on the home screen (S2301).Accordingly, the controller 180 may change the displayed size of theitem 27 a based on a received drag input. When an arrangement space foritems is insufficient in the page P1 on which the item 27 a is providedas the displayed size of the item 27 a expands, the controller 180 mayshrink (or reduce) the other items on the page P1 and display theshrunken items (S2302).

When there is an attempt to expand the displayed size of an item beyondan expandable area, the controller 180 may group the other items on thesame page as that of the corresponding item and display the groupeditems. When the displayed size of the selected item is expanded beyondthe arrangement area on which the items may be arranged in the currentpage, the controller 180 may group the other items arranged on the samepage and display a group icon representing the grouped icons. Referringto FIG. 29, the controller 180 may enter into a mode for changing thedisplayed size of an item 28 a on the home screen (S2401). Accordingly,the controller 180 may change the displayed size of the selected item 28a based on a received drag input. When the displayed size of the item 28a expands beyond an expandable arrangement area, the controller 180 maygroup the items 28 b other than the item 28 a and display a group icon28 c representing the grouped icons (S2402).

A method of controlling the mobile terminal 100 and an operation of themobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment may be described withreference to FIGS. 30 to 32.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart of a method of controlling the mobile terminal100 according to an embodiment. FIGS. 31 to 32 show a method ofcontrolling the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment. Otherembodiments and configurations may also be provided.

Referring to FIG. 30, the controller 180 may display at least one itemon the screen (S2501). The item may include a shortcut icon, a groupicon, and/or a widget arranged on the home screen. Further, the item mayinclude a shortcut icon displayed on a menu screen. The item may includean icon displayed on a content list.

The controller 180 may enter into a quick execution mode for any one ofitems displayed on the screen based on a touch input received throughthe touch screen (of the display 151) (S2502). For example, when an itemdisplayed on the screen is touched for more than a predetermined time,the controller 180 may enter into the quick execution mode whosefunction is associated with the corresponding item. The controller 180may display items operating in the quick execution mode to bedifferentiated from the other items by changing the displaycharacteristics of the selected items, such as expanding the displayedsize of the selected items or making the selected items look as beingfurther projected than the other items.

Upon receiving a drag input through the touch screen (of the display151) while the item is touched (S2503), the controller 180 havingentered into the quick execution mode may acquire a dragging directionof the received drag input. The controller 180 may execute a specificfunction associated with the item based on the acquired draggingdirection (S2504). The controller 180 may map a dragging directioncorresponding to at least one function associated with each item withthe item and store the mapped result in the memory 160. Accordingly,when entering into the quick execution mode for an item, the controller180 may execute a function corresponding to a dragging direction mappedwith the item based on information stored in the memory 160.

FIGS. 31 and 32 show examples of executing a function associated with anitem in a quick execution mode.

Referring to FIG. 31, the controller 180 may display shortcut icons on amenu screen. When a shortcut icon 30 a corresponding to a Bluetoothapplication is touched for a predetermined time, the controller 180 mayenter into a quick execution mode having a function associated with theicon 30 a (S2601). After entering into the quick execution mode havingthe function associated with the Bluetooth icon 30 a, the controller 180may display the Bluetooth icon 30 in a magnified form compared to theother icons so as to indicate that the controller 180 entered into thequick execution mode having the function associated with the icon 30 a.Upon receiving a drag input dragging the touched Bluetooth icon 30 a ina right direction after having entered into the quick execution mode,the controller 180 may execute a Bluetooth inactivation function fromamong functions of the Bluetooth application (S2602). Upon receiving adrag input dragging the touched Bluetooth icon 30 a in a left directionunder the quick execution mode, the controller 180 executes a Bluetoothactivation function (S2603). Upon receiving a drag input dragging theBluetooth icon 30 a in a lower direction under the quick execution mode,the controller 180 may display a list 30 b of connectable externalBluetooth terminals on the screen (S2604). When the Bluetooth icon 30 ais dragged in an upper direction while the list 30 b is displayed on thescreen, the controller 180 may terminate display of the list 30 b anddisplay the menu screen again (S2605).

The controller 180 may display, on the screen, information on whatfunction is executed depending on a direction in which an item selectedin the quick execution mode is dragged. Referring to FIG. 31, as theBluetooth icon 30 a is dragged in the right direction, the controller180 may display information indicating that a quick execution functionmapped with the right direction is the Bluetooth activation function ina form of overlapping the Bluetooth icon. As the Bluetooth icon 30 a isdragged in the left direction, the controller 180 may displayinformation indicating that a quick execution function mapped with theleft direction is the Bluetooth inactivation function in a form ofoverlapping the Bluetooth icon.

Referring to FIG. 32, the controller 180 may display shortcut icons on amenu screen. When a shortcut icon 31 a corresponding to a musicapplication is touched for a predetermined time, the controller 180 mayenter into a quick execution mode for the icon 31 a (S2701). As themusic icon 31 a is dragged in the left or right direction under thequick execution mode, the controller 180 may shift a playing time pointof currently playing music (S2702 and S2703). As the music icon 31 a isdragged in a lower direction under the quick execution mode, thecontroller 180 may display a list 31 b of playable music files on thescreen (S2704). As the music icon 31 a is dragged in an upper directionwhile the list 31 b is displayed on the screen, the controller 180 mayterminate display of the list 31 b and display the menu screen again(S2705).

Returning to FIG. 30, upon receiving a request of terminating the quickexecution mode while operating in the quick execution mode for the item(S2505), the controller 180 may terminate the quick execution mode forthe item (S2506). According to the embodiment described with referenceto FIGS. 30 to 32, the quick execution mode is operated while theselected item is kept touched. In this embodiment, when the touch on theselected is released, the quick execution mode on the item may beterminated.

According to the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 30 to 32,the mobile terminal 100 may execute an application corresponding to anitem represented as a shortcut icon or a widget by merely touching ordragging the item. Accordingly, a user convenience may be enhanced.

The above-described method of providing email service of the mobileterminal may be written as computer programs and may be implemented indigital microprocessors that execute the programs using a computerreadable recording medium. The method of providing email service of themobile terminal may be executed through software. The software mayinclude code segments that perform required tasks. Programs or codesegments may also be stored in a processor readable medium or may betransmitted according to a computer data signal combined with a carrierthrough a transmission medium or communication network.

The computer readable recording medium may be any data storage devicethat can store data that can be thereafter read by a computer system.Examples of the computer readable recording medium may include read-onlymemory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), CD-ROMs, DVD±ROM, DVD-RAM,magnetic tapes, floppy disks, and/or optical data storage devices. Thecomputer readable recording medium may also be distributed over networkcoupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is storedand executed in a distribution fashion.

Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Theappearances of such phrases in various places in the specification arenot necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, when aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic is described inconnection with any embodiment, it is submitted that it is within thepurview of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, orcharacteristic in connection with other ones of the embodiments.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerousother modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled inthe art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles ofthis disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modificationsare possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subjectcombination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawingsand the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications inthe component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also beapparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile terminal comprising: a touchscreen; anda controller configured to: display, via the touchscreen, a first iconhaving a first size and corresponding to a first application, inresponse to receiving a first touch input on the first icon, display anexecution screen of the first application on the touchscreen, inresponse to receiving a second touch input on the first icon, display achange indicator overlapping at least part of the first icon, inresponse to receiving a third touch input on the change indicator,transition the first icon into a widget object on the touchscreen,wherein the widget object has a second size that is larger than thefirst size of the first icon, display changing preview informationcorresponding to dynamic execution results of the first applicationwithin an outer boundary of the widget object, and in response toreceiving a fourth touch input on the widget object, display theexecution screen of the first application on the touchscreen, whereinthe execution screen is larger than the widget object for displayingadditional information.
 2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein asize of the widget object is variable among a plurality of sizes, andeach of the plurality of sizes is bigger than the size of the firsticon.
 3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller isfurther configured to: cause the touchscreen to display a secondindicator on at least part of an area of the widget object uponreceiving a fifth touch input on the widget object; and cause thetouchscreen to display the first icon upon receiving a sixth touch inputon the second indicator, wherein the widget object can be changed intothe first icon.
 4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein thecontroller is further configured to cause the touchscreen to displayeach of a plurality of contents in each of separate display areas of thewidget object.
 5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first iconcorresponds to location information for directly executing the firstapplication, and the widget object corresponds to a small window foroperating an executed result of the first application.
 6. The mobileterminal of claim 1, wherein the execution screen has a third sizelarger than the second size of the widget object and smaller than anentire area of the touchscreen.
 7. The mobile terminal of claim 1,wherein the execution screen is displayed on an entire area of thetouchscreen.
 8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first iconhas a square shape and the widget object has a rectangular shape.
 9. Themobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the preview information includes agraphical object.
 10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the firsticon is displayed on a home screen.
 11. A mobile terminal comprising: atouchscreen; and a controller configured to: display an iconcorresponding to an application on a home screen, in response toreceiving a first input on the icon, display a first indicator on a partof the icon, wherein the first indicator indicates a direction forexpanding a size of the icon, in response to receiving a second input onthe first indicator, expand the size of the icon, in response to thesize of the icon exceeding a predetermined icon size, change the iconinto a widget on the home screen, wherein the widget includesinformation associated with execution results of the application, inresponse to receiving a third input on the widget, expand a size of thewidget, and in response to the size of the widget exceeding apredetermined widget size, transition the touchscreen from displayingthe widget on the home screen to displaying an application executionscreen of the application.